Children and School

One of the most important aspects of society is education, not only would everyone be boring, we would not be able to develop and evolve personally or as a society. Thus, education is important for everyone from infants to senior citizens. One of the most influential and important times to educate is from the ages of 6 to 10. The most important factor in educating these children is the method in which they are educated. Forcing them or teaching improper behaviors and stereotypes can be very detrimental. Early childhood education is also an important precursor to grade school.There are different different ways to educate young children, all considered effective, each depends on how old they are and how well they react to a given method.

They can move from one activity to another before boring with any. The teacher acts as a facilitator and guide rather than a director. The teacher shows the child how to perform intellectual activities, demonstates interesting ways to explore curriculum materials, and offers help when the child requests it. This method is most effective with six to eight year olds where children focus on the available activities instead of the interacting with peers. Some nine to ten year olds lose interest in specific activities, and would rather play with friends and have their own fun.

The Reggio Emilia approach views young children as competent people, and encourages them to learn by investigating and exploring topics that interest them. It uses a wide range of stimulating media and materials.

Children often explore topics in a group. This fosters a sense of community, respect for diversity, and a collaborative approach to problem activities that involve music, painting, movement, making collages, and photography. "Many early childhood education experts believe the Reggio Emilia approach provides a supportive, stimulating context in which children are motivated to explore the world competently and confidently"(Bredekamp, 1993). This method is effective with the majority of children. The group environment allows children to interact with each other while still participating in class activities. This also allows the teacher to have more control and observation over their children.

The nonsexist method of teaching involves keeping the children from forming gender based stereotypes. It provides equality for both sexes by facilitating each child's participation in activities necessary for optimal cognitive and socioemotional development. It also helps develop children's skills that enable them to challenge sexist stereotypes and behaviors in the future. This method is very healthy for most children. It keeps the children from forming bad habits that can be detrimental in the future. "Young children's awareness of equitable gender roles can be expanded by having them participate in a number of activities." Some examples are:

• Read books about girls and boys that contradict gender stereotypes.
• Be a nonsexist role model as a teacher, helping children learn new skills, and share tasks in a nonsexist manner.
• Support children's dramatic play that involves nontraditional gender roles.
• Tell stories about non stereotype dolls that support nontraditional behaviors and describe the conflicts they sometimes have when acting in ways that challenge stereotypical gender roles.
  - (Derman-Sparks & the ABC Task Force, 1989)

A number of educators believe that young elementary children learn best through active, hands-on teaching methods like games and dramatic play. This allows children to be thoroughly entertained while still learning information on a subconscious-like level. These games would include various subjects from counting games to games that involve reading and vocabulary.

This type of teaching is very beneficial for all ages. It allows children to experience learning while having fun, which keeps them interested in the subject for a longer period of time.

Children are alike in many ways, and that is what makes teaching them in groups possible. But children are also different in many ways, and that is what makes attention to individual differences necessary to effective teaching at any grade level. The key is finding out which teaching method is necessary for the corresponding children and implementing it appropriately.

Hazel, Lambert(1960). Early Childhood Education., Allyn and Bacon Inc.

Santrock, John W.(1999). Life Span Development (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill

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